The Storied History of the Ham Radio Callsign

[@spacemissing]

One of the few instances of a government (eventually) solving a problem rather than making more problems. - KJ6QKV

[@llaughlin100]

When I was a kid one of my mentors for ham radio was Gus, the original holder of call sign W0CC. My novice license, KN0ZBA was issued on February 29,1960 (leap day) and had a listed expiration date of February 29, 1961 - one year later. The bureaucracy had not taken the leap day into consideration as far as the one year term. Since that date never existed my novice license technically never expired. In any event I upgraded to a General license (K0ZBA) before the year was out. I still have that license at 75 years old.

[@jerrykr7kz]

Ryukyu Islands is Okinawa Japan. Prior to the Japanese's reversion on May 12th, 1972, it was under the United States control. The Island was classified as KR6. I was KR6KZ at the time while working at AB6USA Mars Radio Station, Army. There was no mention of this in the video. Also, AC4USA, Antarctic Station.

[@gotsteem]

Hi Mike, I wish more of us within the ham community would stop calling our licensed communications skill set a hobby. In all reality, amateur radio should be considered more of an avocation than simply a hobby whereas, one can make a living at one's 'hobby' be it building models or collecting rocks or panning for gold but, we may not create income or "make money" by communicating over amateur radio. We both know this is strictly prohibited. One can have a hobby building transceivers and make money selling them but using said transceiver is not a hobby, it is a service conducted by someone that is considered less than a professional. Communication over amateur radio is a public service regardless if if the traffic is for pleasure, safety, or emergency. Now, collecting QSL cards, there's a hobby! Thanks for the extremely informative video. I enjoyed the history.

[@wkeith9004]

Very interesting history on the ham call signs............ jan 1978 issued KL7JIU while stationed US Army in Alaska but let it expire... then i 1993 relicsened as KB5ZWJ (Louisiana).... then in 1996 used the vanity call sign program and got my Alaska call sign back which is still active today. It throws people off because they think I should be in Alaska when actually in Louisiana. .... 73"s de KL7JIU

[@christodav]

I am the 200th subscriber. LOL Great channel. Please keep it up.

[@fernvalleyinn9172]

In the late 1950's my uncle would pull up in his Cadillac with license plate W6PPO. We would talk to people in Europe sitting in our driveway. Great fun. Your video brought back some wonderful memories.

[@tekspeditionplanet9109]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting!

[@ChatGPT1111]

Great synopsis of callsign history, thanks! 73 de KI1Y (formerly AA1JV)

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

Great job putting that all together Mike!

[@qrplife]

I had fun operating and being a club member at W6YL in the late 1980s/early 90s.

[@singletona082]

If you can find a copy. the book 200 meters and down is a solid, albeit dry, account of the early years up through pre-depression.

[@mariot6959]

Thank You, Great Job, I now have a better understanding of American call signs, ans world Call signs 73's VE2TSM

[@ehayes5217]

very interesting & great job! 73 de WA4ELW in TN 🇺🇸 dit dit 🤓

[@ricke.2205]

Wow, when you say: "storied" history, you weren't kidding. Great video. Thanks. 73 KE8KCD

[@johndavis8626]

My uncle was the first person to make ham radio in West Virginia Samuel nurnburger

[@Sherry-jx9hs]

WOW. I learned a bunch. Got my license when you still needed CW 13WPM receive only we didn't have to send. Thanks again KC7LOO 73

[@ng7m-ham-shack]

Great presentation Mike. Really informative and well done. Who gives a video like this a thumbs down??? Makes no sense.

[@MatthewThibodeau]

Very interesting presentation. As a note: the country in South America is not Columbia, it is Colombia.

[@mikeritz9923]

Thanks. You are right! That's what I get for living on the Columbia river here in Oregon! ;-) I'll correct the slide

[@kevinshumaker3753]

A lot of interesting info, there, sir. KD9EFV - 73

[@warplanner8852]

..going along with the group here, I had WV6KJK as a novice between 1961-1962. After high school, college, my first four years in the USAF, I got my second novice license and the call sign, WN6EPZ, from 1974-1976. Then, during a period of unemployment, I studied and went from "civilian" to the glorious advanced class license - one below amateur extra class, the top license. The call sign I received was KB6HK. The FCC changed the rules on "vanity calls" allowing techs up to advanced to apply for 1x3 format calls and I got K6WHP, the call I now hold. Finally, in 1996 I got my code speed up to 20 wpm and passed the extra class license but kept the K6WHP call sign. I became trustee for two clubs and got the calls, N6ABV, my late father's call, as well as KLR6LP, the call sign of the Lake Perris QRP Club. ..so that's about it. There's five minutes of your life you'll never get back.

[@brianattaway2474]

Wow. Great video Mike. Even though I've had my license for 44 years, I only knew some of that history. You filled in all of the blanks. Very interesting and informative. Thanks, KN5X

[@GordonHudson]

My son is a police officer here in the UK. When he was given his lapel number he got an envelope of information about all the previous users of that number going back 70 years. A bit like your callsign. The UK callsigns have got too complicated also. Hard to know exactly where someone is or what kind of licence they have.

[@Subgunman]

Kinda like the UK postal codes! OMG! In the States I remember when there was just a single digit as a postal code, today they have been using the Zip+4 code where you have a five digit postal code with an additional four digits that narrow it down further to where on the street one’s home or office is located. Most letters are automatically barcoded which allows for a quicker presorting in the mechanized portion of the delivery system.

[@rickjudgejr1435]

I want to get my license I live in New York

[@Daddyclive]

During WW2, the U.K. enlisted many licenced HAM operators who weren't called up for the Signal Corp, to listen in to German signals and send them to the war-winning code-breaking Bletchley Park. These operators were called Volunteer Interceptors.

[@fourfortyroadrunner6701]

It is not "HAM" my friend, it is simply "ham," a slang word. I much prefer "radio amateur" or "amateur radio operator"

[@uTube486]

Thank You for the cool video... I know no electronics, but I love being around; My mentor though was W1NTE, Bob M.

[@иванепифан-к8ж]

Thank you for the information of ham radio callsaigns USA . 73. Вот ))))

[@stephendubuis7203]

Very interesting. Thank you. 73 W4DUB

[@cbman4767]

Thought I would add that in Canada when WW2 ended all military radio operators were granted amateur radio licences without testing. One of my Elmer's was a Canadian navy radio operator and all he had to do was ask for a licence when he was discharged in 1945.

[@rowlybrown]

In Canada after the war I think anyone with a commercial license was entitled to a ham call. Incidentally, when my Dad got his call in 1974 he was assigned VE7ABC! What are the odds? 73 de VE7DCL

[@LkOutMtnMan]

I was WN4BOU in 1964 when I was 14 yrs old then WB4BOU which I lost while moving around and not renewing my license in time. So I took the General test again getting N4OHB to work CW which is all I have worked since my early years in the 60s. I then got my Advance and Extra class as N4OHB because it was a much shorter and easier to copy sign in cw. I did get into the 40-45 wpm CW group in the lower 25htz of the bands for a while but switched to QRP from 80s on. Have worked hams like Barry Goldwater, J Edgar Hoover's grandson, astronauts in airplanes , floating lighthouse op on an Alaskan coast . What I do miss is working the Navy CW ops from WW2 who always used "bugs" very well. I could always tell who they were when they were tuning up . Sadly they are all gone and so is CW from test requirements. And sadly a lot of kids no longer build CW transmitters as I did for a high school science fair project using tv parts and military surplus!

[@chuckbrasch4575]

Sounds familiar. I got my novice in 1959 (WV6FAP) which I lost when I went into the Navy. I built my first CW transmitter from scratch like you in High School too for a science project. 6V6 oscillator and a 6L6 final with hand wound coils for 80 and 40, xtal controlled..(sound familiar??).. Got my current call in 1964..... 73's de WB6PVC

[@LkOutMtnMan]

@@chuckbrasch4575 Yep, same transmitter I built, same tubes.

[@chuckbrasch4575]

@@LkOutMtnMan transmitter is long gone but I still have those tubes in a box ! ! still have the crystals I used back then too..... (some people never throw stuff away. . hi hi )

[@johnstudd4245]

I am glad CW requirements are gone. I am getting back into the hobby mainly because of that. Times and technologies change. I think it was detrimental to the hobby for many to advance in the ratings. If some want to use it that's fine. But this isn't the 1940's any more.

[@SuburbanDon]

Wow a great story. I attained my general class in 1999 and have worked many modes, 50 states and 23 countries. Then i took a break. Getting into QRP CW now. Nothing like your story but it's mine. 73.

[@vitinhokd]

I'm from Brazil and can tell that this presentation is pure gold! Helps understand not only us, but how world took the callsign subject. Congratulations.

[@mikeritz9923]

Thanks!

[@migimotorman6841]

Tnx for an appreciated history lesson. Jim Rohen W2ELE

[@johnopalko5223]

19:00 Wow! I had a copy of that book when I was a kid! Tnx es 73 de N7KBT.

[@doncarlton4858]

Thanks for a great history of American Ham Radio!

[@Subgunman]

Yeah, our call signs are Really leased to us today, when my call expires I will have to pay to get it renewed, looks like the FCC is getting too greedy on issuing licenses. I lucked out and renewed my ticket about a year before they started charging for a new or renewal license. What had me floored is that they quit mailing out a license on Official certificate stock and now give you a .pdf file to print out. Try going to some backward CEPT countries with your gear and the authorities see your ticket printed out on common paper, even if it has the watermark saying official copy, they think it’s a fake since it’s not on official paper stock. Lack of communication on the part of the FCC in notifying all CEPT countries as well as a lack of these countries notifying their enforcement section.

[@josephrogers5337]

need to mention 2 district by 2 calls for advanced licences. Also 1 by 2 calls such as K8CO, my brothers call sign. But very interesting on redrawing district lines. Today it is hard to tell what class of license by just call signs.

[@אררטי]

Fascinating video! This is right up my alley. 73 de W6ADL

[@jimpickett4430]

Imagine my surprise as I was watching, and enjoying, your presentation, I see the picture of my old Novice license. Ahhhh, the good old days. Great job on your work. 73, Jim - K5LAD

[@OhmSteader]

I bought an old winnibago rv which had about 5 ham radio antennas covering it and had call numbers 23823 on. I had never heard of numbers used as a call sign. Are you familiar with this?

[@jamesalles139]

This will be interesting, I did some research on The Pennsylvania State University experimental / Amateur radio stations.

[@shaofuchang515]

In 1951, the novice class was added, that had either WN or KN prefix, it was a rite of passage when upgrading to remove the N. Its been three years but I finally got that joke why my elmers were hounding me about eventually getting a vanity when I went to General. Yes, its true that we don't own our station licenses, they are leased to us by the FCC on a contractual and conditional basis. But when you're issued a call that call is uniquely yours. 7,800,000,000 people in the world and that call letter combination is uniquely identifying you. Its something special, for me luckily its also easy to key. Great video, thanks for the breakdown in the lengthy ham history. 73 de KN4GEI

[@baikushex0et682]

There were actually advanced class holders with 1 x 2 calls I.e. w8la Very rare Don't think any alive today

[@charlesweihe4346]

Thanks great presentation. 73s WA7YYB

[@willwaconsya3433]

I was glad to keep my call all through my upgrades. I worked hard on the Morse code. I was kind of unhappy to see the requirement removed from the licensing. It made for old CB operators easy to obtain the license and bring in bad radio habits. It makes me sick to hear the CB nonsense from a choice few on 40 meters (7.200 -210) in eastern PA. And this is N2MIR.

[@KlodFather]

I remember listening in the days before they dropped the code requirements... Ham radio had plenty of bad apples previous to that. It was not CB or the lack of code that was the problem. It was bad uncouth operators on HF who had been there for years. 3898 and 14313 to mention a few. The lids were already there and they made the CB'ers look like pikers. These guys were never disciplined because they were friends of someone.

[@alakani]

I think they should have replaced the Morse test with whistling 110 baud EBDIC

[@scharkalvin]

Q may have been from Star Trek?

[@billdolan4320]

I had often wondered why my first Novice call was a W V 2 (1959) while other Novices around me had WN call signs. Now I understand and currently I have my father's old call sign issued back in 1931.....de...W2CWL....Thank you Mike.

[@mikeritz9923]

Thanks, Bill. Glad you enjoyed the video. de W7VO

[@flatmoon6359]

Q,he was around always.

[@wes11bravo]

Thanks to the "vanity call" rule change (an erroneous term in my case, and in the case of many other Amateur Operators, that should more correctly be called a "legacy" or "tribute" call), I was able to get my grandfather's call W9YYH.

[@RckyMtneer]

Nice presentation! My mom's dad was 6CCY, and he also used u6CCY, in the 1920's. My dad's dad started in the 1930's with W6ANF, which is now my call.

[@chuckbrasch4575]

Very good presentation Mike. (old calsigns) W6XYZ ended up as TV channel 5 in Los Angeles ! ! 73's de WB6PVC....

[@damonkj7e]

There where a bunch of us who worked for KPHO in Phoenix. I was an Eng there from 2002 - 2006 - KJ7E

[@chuckbrasch4575]

@@damonkj7e W6XYZ was an 'experimental' station in 1939. They were developing an early TV broadcast. KTLA (CH 5) came on the air later, it was the first commercial TV station west of the Mississippi!..... 73 de WB6PVC

[@baikushex0et682]

Usa A and N For army and navy Why W and K ? They simply added a dash to A to become W and N to become K

[@DigitalMoose]

Enjoyed learning this info! AE5CH

[@kellytuttle3311]

Thank you Mike for the history. There was a time window where three letter calls had missing letters in front of the number. The late Jim Chambers originally was issued 6FI then later was issued W6FI. I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was one of San Francisco's first FCC examiners. He was also a member of the San Francisco Amateur Radio Club. I sent photos of Jim to the ARRL. He's enjoying a glass of beer in my late grandfather's bar business in San Francisco. I also had a chance to view his station. Kelly WB6AAJ

[@onesearcher100]

My Father in law Was- W8VKK in Akron, Ohio

[@mjordan812]

My High School ('59-'63) science teacher had his call sign (W1NDV) on his license plate. I originally saw it as "WINDY" which was, oddly enough, rather appropriate. As to why I remember his call 60+ years later, I have no idea.

[@mtmals9786]

Wonderful history tour Mike. Always liked those Hammerlund receivers. 73s W3PDR..K4CWN..1961

[@howardjohnson2138]

I find this interesting and I'm not even a ham

[@Shermanbay]

Thanks, Mike, you cleared up a mystery in my life. My father was licensed as W9PIZ (Preacher In Zion) ca. 1932 and retained the call until his death in 1946. But what puzzled me when I got my general in 1958 was the "9" in his call, as we both lived in Missouri. By 1958, Missouri was in the zero district. Now you answered my question why he was W9 when I became K0.

[@boggio61]

Great video i really enjoyed watching. I would like to look up the history of my call. Thanks for taking the time to make this. KB3BAL

[@jhonwask]

I want to start a low power AM station. Is it difficult to get a license and call sign?

[@miltkuro4045]

Very interesting. KD2BSL

[@davemitchell116]

Good presentation, but very little, if anything, was said about the biggest change which was in 1978.

[@mikeritz9923]

You are right. I had to limit the preso to 20 minutes for QSO today. It’s normally 40 minutes when done live, and includes much more. I focused more on the early history in what I did here.

[@davemitchell116]

@@WYO_Cowboy_Joe No, that happened in the 1950s. In 1978 the FCC totally redid the callsign methodology to issue new callsigns which would be based on license class and later added vanity call signs (May 1996) which were issued regardless of call areas but respective of license call area. "A" and "N" prefixes were were issued in 1978 for the first time (other than the Nx2 callsigns that were issued to Extra Class Hams beginning in the early 1970s).

[@mikeritz9923]

@@davemitchell116 That was due to the fact that the whole callsign assignment system went computerized in 1978.

[@johnbartucci9340]

Fascinating video! Couple things at the end you missed: the 6 mo window in the mid-70's where an Extra-class could request a special callsign (which is how I got mine) and the current vanity callsign system.

[@mikeritz9923]

Thanks, John. I had to cut what was originally about a 40 minute live club presentation into one that would fit into the 22-25 minute time limit for the QSO Today virtual hamfest. So, I left out anything related to current vanity calls that started in about 1996, and also the unique bi-centennial calls of 1976. Remember those? ;-)

[@scottdurbin9684]

What a great video. Thank you! I was 1st licensed in 1921 and what a ride it's been.

[@AI4QT]

Great review!

[@Scott-lz3pp]

Cool history! KB5AVP

[@westmibaddrivers2573]

Got my KA8 call sign 30 days after turning 14. Still have it to this day, some 40 years later.. never bothered changing it when I upgraded to General Class.

[@careycraig4360]

Simply put, This was an " EXCELLENT PRESENTATION ". Very informative and easy to follow.

[@walterulasinksi7031]

Another item regarding the W andK delineations was that the FCC had two main locations for their offices. TheW stands for Washington and the K stands for Kansas City. During WWII, those that were part of the Civil Defense, were still allowed to operate within a strictly confined area, on specific frequencies and at specific times, usually overnight. Thus extended through the 50’s And 60’s. As of 1960, one of the exercises for the CD was to assist in possible dirty bomb locating, One night my dad let me assist him in one if these drills. He had received an official ordinance map of NYC, so he taught me how to read this kind of map. As the night progressed, he was sent various coordinates which I then found on the map. The final coordinated I located indicated that this location was in the middle of Jamaica Bay. We were the inly station that got the location correct. Although the command had wanted it to be on the occupied island there so units could be dispatched to the location.. Command had made the mistake. By the way, the only antenna my dad used was an old Circle X TV antenna. I can only assume it worked as well as it did as satellite dishes use the same basic shape. He was even able to do moon bounce from it and was able receive signals from Florida. I know some of the other Hams were astounded when he told them what type of antennae he used.

[@OahuClay]

Great job! Thanks! WH6USA formerly KD7TZ, WN7RBZ

[@LU1VJK]

Increíble trabajo Mike! Muy interesante y sobre todo educativo. Saludos desde Bariloche, Patagonia Argentina.

[@Paddy_Roche]

Fan-bloody-tastic presentation, well done that was so interesting to watch de 2E0TWD

[@howardsix9708]

73 from m0wem..................

[@billtaylor292]

Excellent presentation!

[@marknesselhaus4376]

Very good video Mike. A lot pack in there that I did not know. 73 De WA4JAT

[@kenmohler4081]

This is a great production, Mike. I must admit that I never knew a lot of this stuff. Thanks for taking the time for research. I’m K0AX, but I do not know the history of that call. It has obviously been around for a long time.

[@richardlibby2407]

Nicely done, sir!

[@ridefast0]

Greetings from the UK, novice 2E1GPA graduated to M1DQE after the 'slow Morse' test. UK call signs are now permanently allocated at no cost, it seems the costs of administering the renewable license system exceeded the receipts! I only took the exams to support my daughter when she took them, and I never struggled with real RF equipment as e-mail and Skype were also around!

[@Bobbr3]

Excellent presentation. Fascinating information. Thanks for making the effort to share this overview!

[@randykelso4079]

Had a wonderful Elmer, W5BXV, SK, and received my Novice ticket in 1961. After it expired things got busy with military service, etc. and I let it expire without upgrading. Nearly 60 years later got my Technician, General and Extra and very glad I did. The FCC allowed me to recover my old Novice call sign. 73 de KN5MVC

[@fourfortyroadrunner6701]

I am old enough (now 76) to have personally known 3 hams who once had no "W" as their prefix. Jeff Woodhouse, once 7FL, I knew as W7FL. He lived mostly in Montana, but wandered over to the N end of Idaho occasionally. He was section manager for quite awhile back in the ?30s? I was first licensed in high school in 1965, and took my general in Spokane in 66. That was a big deal as it was about a 160mi. drive round trip from home to Spokane. My junk car just out of high school was not very reliable, so Mom drove me in for the test. If I'd failed, there would have been 'el to pay.

[@PaulaKeezer]

Great over view. One point you may wish to add is that the WN call signs were re-issued during the 50's and 60's. If you got a WN1GGG call sign in the 50's you would typically get a K1GGG callsign when you upgraded. Then when they ran out of WN they started re issuing them so a WN1GGG in the 60's would get WA1GGG. They may have done this multiple times in W6 land!

[@gobdeep]

Great video! How does one trace the “genealogy” of a callsign? ~KN4OLA

[@donvlack4861]

I also would like to know this. Especially if there is a way to do it without having to physically check the call book for every year.

[@1cbres]

Well done. 73 Tom W7WHY

[@cinderoftheland1496]

Trying to find a call sign for my grandparents. I have an article from April 15, 1943 - skill PF radio ‘HAMS’ now used to strengthen New York Defense - my grandmother is shown in the article as the first women licensed as a radio-telephone operator in NYC WERS. I am trying to find her call sign as I have recently became a General (KE2AED). Any suggestion on where else to find this information would be appreciated.

[@jviss07]

That was very interesting and informative, thank you! 73, AC1QC

[@harvhobson9406]

I was issued WN4NPL in 1969. When I upgraded to general class I became WB4NPL. I sort of wish I had kept that because of the "nice" sound on CW!

[@CarlWF6J]

Thank you for your presentation and informative program for this old timer Ham, WF6J (licensed since 1958)

[@alberthartl8885]

Just a little trivia... I grew up in Minnesota and it was possible to have your callsign be your vehicle license plate number. 🧐

[@mikeritz9923]

It’s still that way in a lot of a states!

[@TeddyCavachon]

According to family lore sometime before the first World War (pre 1917) the US Navy showed up on the doorstep of my grandfather’s house in Chicago and ordered him to shut down the spark gap radio he and his brother had set-up saying it was interfering with ship-to-shore communications in the Atlantic. He enlisted as a radio operator and afterwards worked as an electrician.

[@mikeritz9923]

Wow! Quite the lore!

[@lawrenceschall3496]

Mike, Fantastic video. Larry KB2MN first licensed 1962 General class WA2ZZQ

[@andrewm4564]

My dad was WA2MVS in New Jersey

[@williamthomas3620]

Thanks for the history lesson. My father and some of his friends got me interested in this in 1954, and I was licensed as WN5YKJ, now upgrade to W5YKJ.

[@Farley__]

Great presentation. Thanks for putting it out there. From WN1MML (1969)

[@navstar7334]

Exceptionally well put together video, if I may say so Mike! Many thanks from "across the pond". 73s

[@johnmarchand9403]

Mike, excellent video. Totally enjoyed the history lession. John K1RC

[@tfonstad]

Mike, thank you for a well-done video presentation! 73 de KN9LWV 1958; K9LWV 1959; and N9NE ca. 1972.

[@eugenecbell]

Very well written and produced. Thank you! 73

[@KarlWitsman]

Great research!

[@d46512]

Government brought light into the dark ages. Where have I heard that one before. Regulation gets captured by the lobbyists and stifles innovation. We would've had wireless internet decades earlier if not for inflexible, well-intentioned regulation. /rant. I enjoyed the history lesson. Thanks

[@tomohlsson9045]

Outstanding presentation, I loved it and you did a great job with the research! 73 de KE0VFA (Once upon a time WN6KQZ, later WB6KQZ)